Re: st: RE: format (decimals) in results stored

[Leandro Brufman <leandrobrufman@gmail.com>]

Thanks Nick!

On Wed, Mar 2, 2011 at 1:47 PM, Nick Cox <n.j.cox@durham.ac.uk> wrote:
>
> Here is a dopey example.
>
> . sysuse auto
> (1978 Automobile Data)
>
> . su mpg
>
>    Variable |       Obs        Mean    Std. Dev.       Min        Max
> -------------+--------------------------------------------------------
>         mpg |        74     21.2973    5.785503         12         41
>
> . histogram mpg , subtitle(mean `: di %2.1f r(mean)' mpg)
> (bin=8, start=12, width=3.625)
>
> Know that the text "mean 21.3 mpg" appears as subtitle.
>
> The incantation here is
>
> `: di %2.1f r(mean)'
>
> which is documented more generally at -help extended_fcn- as -display display_directive-.
>
> Let's replay that as a two-step.
>
> 1. Given that you have r-class results in memory, you could go
>
> . di %2.1f r(mean)
>
> to see the mean formatted as you wish.
>
> 2. And you can also do that on the fly. Wrapping that in `:  ' means that Stata will pretend to do that in mid-air, but the command concerned will see the result.
>
> In practice, I often do this outside the main call. I do something like
>
> local text : di %2.1f r(mean)
>
> and invoke the macro within the graph command.
>
> In practice, decide how many decimal places you want, then add one. So use formats %2.1f, %3.2f, etc. Don't think: oh, those numbers will be about 1000, so I need %5.1f. That way, you will just get awkward spaces when the number is in fact smaller.
>
> Use something like %2.1f and Stata will just assign enough space automagically, unless the number is very greatly bigger. If your numbers are highly predictable, use something other than an f-format.
>
> Nick
> n.j.cox@durham.ac.uk
>
> Leandro Brufman
>
> I am trying to include results stored in r() in graphs. For instance,
> to add them as labels in graphs - with suboptions xlabel(0(1)10
> `r(mean)' "Mean") -
> The only problem I have is that r(mean) includes a lot of decimals. I
> would like to change the format, but only to the `r(mean)' (ie, its
> not helpful to change the dispaly format of the whole x - i want
> integers from 0 to 10 and then the mean with two decimals)
>
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